The present invention relates to a releasable clamp for the interior of a cylindrical tube. One particular application of such a clamp is in an adjustable length handle for an appliance such as a floor polisher.
Commercial floor polishers are conventionally heavy and bulky machines. A lower housing supports a motor and floor polisher brush or pad. A handle, which is adjustably pivotable at varying angles with respect to the housing and floor surface is secured to the rear of the housing. Transport wheels are mounted on the housing, towards the rear, to support the floor polisher and facilitate its movement during operation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,798 of Genovese issued Jul. 11, 1989 describes and illustrates a conventional floor polisher having a handle with a brace pivotally secured to the housing and to a collar which is slidably mounted about a portion of the handle. The lower end of the handle is pivotally secured to an upper part of the housing. In this manner limited pivotal movement of the handle with respect to the floor polisher housing is achieved.
Canadian Patent No. 1,087,356 of Fink et al issued Oct. 14, 1990 describes and illustrates an adjustable handle for a floor maintenance appliance such as a polisher in which the handle is longitudinally adjustable. The longitudinal adjustment of the handle is achieved through telescopic tubes within which are positioned a longitudinally movable rod on which is positioned a wedge construction or a cam-in-guide arrangement which, on movement of the rod, moves plungers in and out of locking apertures through overlapping portions of the telescopic tubes. Such prior art constructions of handles have not permitted ready disassociation of the handle from the housing of the floor polisher. This would be a desirable feature for example for transporting such floor polishers in condition where space is limited, or for storage.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative construction of clamp mechanism for adjusting the length of appliance handles and other constructions of a telescopic tubular nature. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an appliance handle which is readily detachable from the rest of the appliance.